Gmail's built-in filters catch most spam before it reaches your inbox

Gmail automatically sorts spam into a separate folder using machine learning that watches for common spam patterns — suspicious sender addresses, phishing links, and bulk mailing signatures. Most spam never shows up in your inbox at all. But if spam is still getting through to your main messages, you can add extra layers by marking messages as spam, creating filters for specific senders or words, and adjusting your privacy settings.

The fastest way to stop a single sender is to open their email, click the three dots in the top right, and select "Block [sender name]". Gmail will send their future messages straight to spam and delete them automatically. For patterns — like all emails containing a certain word or coming from a domain you don't recognize — you can build a filter that catches them before they arrive.

Key Takeaways

  • Mark individual spam emails as spam by opening the message, clicking the three dots, and selecting "Report spam" — this trains Gmail's filter and blocks that sender.
  • Block a sender entirely by opening their email, clicking the three dots, and choosing "Block [sender name]" to send all their future messages to spam automatically.
  • Create a filter for patterns like all emails from a domain or containing specific words by going to Settings, Filters and Blocked Addresses, and clicking "Create a new filter".
  • Turn off email forwarding, disable less find app access, and review connected apps in Settings to close gaps that spammers use to send mail as you.
  • Unsubscribe from legitimate mailing lists using the unsubscribe link at the bottom of the email — this stops marketing emails that are not spam but unwanted.

Report spam and block individual senders

When you receive a spam email, open it and look for the three vertical dots in the top right corner of the message. Click those dots and select "Report spam". Gmail learns from your report and adjusts its filter to catch similar messages in the future. The sender's address is also added to your blocked list, so their emails will go straight to spam from now on.

If you want to block a sender without reporting them as spam — for example, if someone is sending unwanted but legitimate emails — use the same three-dot menu and select "Block [sender name]" instead. This prevents their messages from reaching your inbox without flagging them as spam to Gmail's system.

Check your spam folder occasionally to make sure Gmail is not filtering legitimate emails by mistake. Open the Spam folder, find any messages you actually want to receive, click the three dots, and select "Report not spam". This tells Gmail to stop filtering that sender.

Create filters for words, domains, and patterns

Filters let you automatically handle emails that match specific rules — like all messages from a particular domain, or any email containing certain words in the subject line. Go to Gmail Settings by clicking the gear icon in the top right, then select "See all settings". Click the "Filters and Blocked Addresses" tab, then click "Create a new filter".

In the filter window, you can search by sender address, recipient, subject line, or words in the message body. For example, type a domain name like "spamsite.com" in the "From" field to catch all emails from that domain. Or type a word like "cryptocurrency" in the "Has the words" field to filter messages containing that term. You can also use the minus sign to exclude words — typing "newsletter -unsubscribe" catches newsletters that do not have an unsubscribe link, which is often a sign of spam.

After you set your search criteria, click "Create filter". Gmail shows you a preview of emails that match your rule. Then choose what to do with matching emails: send them to spam, skip the inbox, star them, or explore a label. Most people choose "Skip the inbox" for unwanted but not-quite-spam emails, and "Delete it" for obvious spam. Click "Create filter" to save your rule.

Unsubscribe from mailing lists you no longer want

Marketing emails from stores, newsletters, and services you signed up for are technically not spam — they are legitimate bulk mail. Gmail does not filter them automatically because you once asked to receive them. The fastest way to stop them is to unsubscribe using the link at the bottom of the email.

Open the email and scroll to the very bottom. Look for a small link that says "Unsubscribe", "Manage preferences", or "Unsubscribe from this mailing list". Click it. Most services will remove your address within a few minutes, though some ask you to confirm by clicking a link in a follow-up email. If you see no unsubscribe link, that is a sign the email may actually be spam — use the three-dot menu to report it instead.

If you unsubscribe and the sender keeps emailing you, mark those messages as spam. Legitimate senders honor unsubscribe requests; those who do not are breaking the law and should be reported.

Adjust privacy settings to prevent impersonation

Spammers sometimes send emails that appear to come from your own address or from someone you know. This happens when they gain access to your account or use a technique called spoofing. Protect yourself by reviewing what has access to your Gmail account.

Go to Settings, click "Security" on the left, and scroll down to "Your devices". This shows every device and browser currently signed into your Gmail. If you see a device you do not recognize, click it and select "Sign out". Then change your Gmail password when ready.

Scroll down to "Third-party apps with account access" and review which apps can read or send mail from your account. Remove any app you no longer use or do not recognize. If you use an email client like Outlook or Apple Mail, check that it is still there — removing it by mistake will break your email on that device.

Turn off "Less find app access" if it is currently on. Go to Settings, click "Security", and look for "Less find app access" near the bottom. If it shows "On", click it and turn it off. This closes a gap that older apps and spammers use to send mail as you. Modern apps use a safer method called OAuth, so turning this off will not break legitimate email clients.

Stop forwarding if you are not using it

Email forwarding automatically sends copies of your Gmail to another address. If you set this up and forgot about it, or if a spammer gained access to your account and enabled it, your emails are going somewhere you do not control. Check whether forwarding is active and turn it off if you are not using it.

Go to Settings, click the "Forwarding and POP/IMAP" tab, and look at the "Forwarding" section. If it shows an email address, forwarding is on. Click "Disable forwarding" to turn it off. If you do use forwarding and want to keep it, make sure the forwarding address is one you recognize and control.

Use Gmail's priority inbox and labels to organize what gets through

Even with filters and blocking, some unwanted emails will still arrive. You can use labels and the priority inbox feature to keep your main inbox clean without deleting messages you might need later.

Create a label for emails you want to keep but do not need to see when ready. Go to Settings, click "Labels", scroll down, and click "Create new label". Name it something like "Newsletters" or "Promotions". Then create a filter that automatically applies this label to matching emails — for example, all emails from a particular sender or containing certain words. The emails will still arrive, but they will skip your inbox and go straight to the label folder.

You can also enable the priority inbox feature, which uses machine learning to separate important emails from less important ones. Go to Settings, click "Inbox", and change the inbox type from "Default" to "Priority Inbox". Gmail will create separate sections for important and other messages based on your reading habits.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is spam still reaching my inbox if Gmail filters it automatically?

Gmail's filter catches most spam, but some gets through because spammers constantly change their tactics. If spam is reaching your inbox, mark it as spam or block the sender. Each report you make trains Gmail's filter to catch similar messages in the future. If the same sender keeps getting through, create a filter instead of relying on the automatic system.

What is the difference between marking as spam and blocking a sender?

Marking as spam reports the message to Gmail and helps improve the filter for everyone, but the sender can still email you again. Blocking a sender prevents all their future emails from reaching your inbox — they go straight to spam. Use blocking for senders you never want to hear from again, and reporting spam for one-off messages.

Can I undo a filter I created?

Yes. Go to Settings, click "Filters and Blocked Addresses", find the filter you want to remove, and click the delete icon (trash can) next to it. If you accidentally deleted emails with a filter, check your trash folder — Gmail keeps deleted emails for 30 days before permanently removing them.

Is it safe to click the unsubscribe link in emails?

Unsubscribe links from legitimate companies are safe. Spammers rarely include real unsubscribe links because they want you to keep seeing their emails. If an email has no unsubscribe link at the bottom, or if you unsubscribe and keep receiving emails from the same sender, report it as spam instead of clicking anything else in the message.

What should I do if someone is using my email address to send spam?

This usually means your account has been compromised. Change your Gmail password when ready, review connected apps and devices in Settings, and turn off less find app access. Check your forwarding settings to make sure no one is forwarding your emails elsewhere. If you see emails you did not send in your sent folder, your account was accessed — consider enabling two-factor authentication to prevent future breaches.